Unforgettable
by AnimeGirl622
Summary: Renji knew he'd always remember her.


**Title:** Unforgettable   
**Words: **1913  
** Summary:** Renji knew he'd always remember her.  
** Spoilers:** Oh gosh, how about A LOT of spoilers.. basically about the whole friendship/relationship Renji and Rukia have had. This is my first attempt at writing them, so in advance i'm REALLY sorry if this is pathetic. I really, really, really tried. Also, as another attempt to stand my Renji/Rukia ground I made a AMV for them :D.. it's on YouTube you can check it out if you like! Just put the link together! http/ www. youtube. com/ watch?vBRCGMtHQZwU  
** Authors Note: **There isn't enough Renji/Rukia out there. Nobody ever looks at Renji and his POV. Sure Ichigo went to Soul Society to save her but HELLO, it's way more complicated then 'he tried to kill her!'.. um, yeah.. if they were MEANT to kill her don't you think Renji would have? He didn't. Also, if they were SUPPOSE to kill her don't you think Byakuya would have? C'mon, I don't think he had any hesitation then. Think outside the box and give poor Renji some support! x.x.. okay i'll stop ranting. Enjoy!   
** Beta:** ObscureAnimeWriter

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The first time he saw her, Renji thought she was amazing. 

Like some savior, she stood tall and brave and attacked headstrong against her opponent. Without a moments hesitation, she took the enemy out and turned towards the four of them. "C'mon, this way!" There was no flashy catch phrase. No theme music playing in the background like he remembered from heroic shows back when he was alive. Just this girl, and her display of kindness to total strangers. Simply amazing.

Renji didn't remember why he and the guys stayed beside her. They just did. The girl - Rukia - was something else, alright. Stubborn, but giving. Temper like all hell, but kind. From what he was told, she never had anybody. Had been just up and abandoned as a baby. Surely, as a infant, somebody had to have taken care of her, but she didn't remember them. Even when he asked. Rukia may have often tried avoiding reality, mostly beating around the bush when asked about her life, but she was definitely not a liar. There was too much honor behind those blue eyes of hers. If anything, Renji knew that one day she'd become something better then any of them. Honor does not lie.

Renji knew he didn't lie, either.

Surprisingly, as much as Kuchiki-taicho could never understand it, could never believe him, Rukongai was the bonding place of Seretei. Poverty wasn't exactly the ideal way to "bond" to become closer to one another. It was a race for survival, especially in the seventy-eighth district. Yet if you searched South Rukongai throughly, if you looked up a certain alleyway, into a certain abandoned one room hut, you would find a huddle of small children relying on each other like a family.

Everybody played a part, but the biggest part of this family Rukia.

She played the mother.

It seemed like such a natural role for her. It wasn't because women had natural maternal instincts or anything, that was complete bullshit. Rukia was still a young girl, much younger then most of the children who stayed with them. It was her caring nature that gave her the title as mother. Being a orphan with no examples, nobody to show you how to take care of another human being, Renji would always fully admit to her doing a dammed good job. No shame, no pride injured. Just the respect for her in his eyes growing more and more each day.

It seemed they were together so long, just the two of them. Even surrounded by their family, Renji would always feel himself drawn to Rukia's small figure in the middle of a crowded room. She was always there, always waiting. Waiting to save somebody, waiting to help somebody, waiting to change another child's life who had nothing and nobody but the clothes on their back and the people around them.

Slowly but surely, it all started to change.

Their once packed hut began to have more and more room. Nobody was cramped and even from the scarce food and water Renji and Rukia brought back, there seemed to be leftovers. Something everybody believed to be insanely impossible materialized into something sanely plausible. Although, with something you could count as a positive, Renji fully knew a negative would come and bite you in the ass. Even if their food and water increased, there weren't enough people to keep each other warm and the ones who were left were sick, like the others. The others who were buried in the park up the street from the hut.

The others who Rukia silently cried for at night, when she believed everyone was asleep. But the sickness spread further. It traveled and ended up reaching their whole district. Renji remembered he and Rukia having to leave their district to another for food and water because all the streams, fields and people in the seventy-eighth were all infected. They wanted to help cure their friends, they didn't want to help spread the disease.

He knew Rukia was special, but Renji could never understand why he was never infected. Could there have been a higher purpose for him, as well?

Just when he thought his head would explode from every thought pounding away, a soft voice spoke, "Let's become Shinigami."

Watching her gaze never falter, never look back at those three graves behind them, Renji knew she was serious.

Renji didn't need to answer. Rukia already knew that wherever she went, he went. They were all that remained left from the horrors of South Rukongai.

Getting into the academy wasn't as rough as Renji assumed it would be. Actually, for him it was extremely easy. For somebody as low classed as he was, Renji couldn't help but feel his ego boost higher. Somebody from the seventy-eighth district had made it this far on his own. Well, mostly on his own, anyway. What had happened back in Rukongai, he and Rukia agreed would stay there. The past was the past. Secretly, he felt bad, though. Rukia had gone from leader and being highly respected to follower and being like everybody else. Her individuality had been stripped away from her because she scored on a lower class then her long time friend. She was with those who needed "a little extra help," which was something Renji knew he'd never understand. She could form a ball of energy twice as big as Renji could as a child!

Bah. Politics and crap. That's all it was.

The first time, however, when Renji first realized he had fallen in love with Rukia was when his classes Hollow training session turned deadly. Fake Hollows were suddenly replaced with the real things and two of their Senpai's with them had been killed. As Hisagi, Kira, Hinamori, and himself had run for it, Renji remembered, his thoughts suddenly shifted to Rukia. They had lost everybody, he was all she had left. Renji remembered silently chanting to himself, 'I will make it back to you. I will make it back to you,' over and over in his head until something which seemed like the inevitable happened -- they were surrounded.

'Well,' Renji remembered thinking with a smirk of determination on his face. 'Time to pull a miracle out my ass.' Gripping onto the hilt of Zabimaru, Renji prepared himself. 'I will make it back to you.'

However, instead of making one, Renji received his miracle handed to him in the shape of Captain Aizen and Vice-Captain Ichimaru. Everybody stayed behind to praise them while Renji ran back; If he didn't see Rukia now, he knew the shock of him still being alive would end up killing him instead.

But, Rukia wasn't there.

Renji cursed the person who created the second exam for her class, on this day and on this time. Between the day of return and the next day for his own second exams, his hope of seeing Rukia seemed more distant then he'd like. He had to report with the others about what happened to Yamamoto-sensei, go to class, do homework, study and eventually even take a bath. The next morning, he had gone to his class to get his test results - passed. Feeling overjoyed, Renji remembered jumping up and literally screaming "Hell yeah!" as he ran out. Wait til Rukia heard about this! He couldn't wait to mess around with her and see her pout.

Rushing up the hall, he watched as student's passed by him with their dismissal. Darting quickly, he pulled back the door and stepped one foot inside before his world came crashing down around him.

'Kenseikan..? Nobility..? Is Rukia in trouble?' Before he could react, Renji felt his body tense up as Kuchiki Byakuya's reiatsu was felt. The immense tensity radiated off of the noble and seemed to look down on Renji, as if demanding he kneel before this man.

Never in a million years.

Struggling to stand, Renji glanced over to watch The Kuchiki Clan leave. Turning his attention completely back to Rukia, all of the other days events, his announcement of being one step closer to graduation, anything that he had wanted to tell her, left Renji's mind.

"They want to adopt me into the Kuchiki Clan...," Rukia's eyes wandered to the floor.

Renji did the only thing he could do. When you love someone, you set them free. He told her to go. Renji knew that he was breaking his own heart. Eventually, time had passed. With her adoption, Renji wasn't surprised that they had become distant. She was now part of the Thirteenth Division and an active Shinigami to the community. Rukia was back doing what she did best: Helping some soul who needed it.

Distant soon turned into "completely separated," though, as the years passed. Renji had allowed himself to transfer from his beloved Fifth Division to become Vice-Captain to that tight-ass Byakuya in the Sixth. He secretly hoped if he worked with Rukia's now adoptive older brother, he could become close with her again. Renji had no idea what was going on in her life. He only heard what the gossip of Seretei had to offer. When Renji heard about the events that happened with Ukitake-taicho and Kaien-fukutaicho, he had demanded to see Rukia that instant. But, of course, his work prevented that. It seemed that there was always something that prevented him from being with Rukia.

The weeks turned into months, and the months turned into years. Last he remembered hearing were the reports of Rukia disappearing into the mortal world coming in. Next came the orders for him and his taicho to go and retrieve her. Renji figured if he could scare her, then he could persuade her into coming home. Of course, that didn't work and the whole thing turned into one big mess Renji had never meant to happen.

'Ah, but this isn't the time to be thinking of memories past.'

Looking in front of him there was a Kuchiki Rukia standing with her eyes cast down as usual. Now was the time. It was now or never because he'd never know when the chance would come again. "Rukia, I..."

"Renji, don't."

Blinking at her, Renji felt his throat tighten. "But.."

Refusing to look at him, Rukia felt her voice go shakey. "I can't love you."

"Why? Is it because of Ichigo?"

Shaking her head sadly, Rukia raised her gaze revealing her glassy blue eyes. "I can't move on. Ichigo...Kaien...I can't."

Taking in a deep breath Renji nodded and smiled. "Pfft, loyal as ever." Turning his back, Renji began steadily walking back to Urahara's shop. "He may be Kaien's reincarnation, but your devotion will never stop me from loving you."

"I owe him this...I killed him.."

Sighing softly, Renji continued walking. He could turn back now and watch the amazing girl he fell in love with break down into tears. He could rush to her side to comfort her like Inoue, or he could stand beside her reassuringly like Ichigo would, but that wasn't his style. Renji knew that he and Rukia had something she and the others would never have...

A deep connection. A bond you could attack so viciously and would remain standing.

Renji felt his heart break this time from Rukia. But he would be okay. Like he knew Rukia eventually would.

Something so strong, like love, could survive forever. He would wait that long if he had.

Eventually and always.

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Err.. I have no idea what to put here this time. Thank you for reading! n.n  



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